Fouls, turnovers lead to a loss in Pastner’s UNLV debut

UNLV fouls UT Martin for two of the 48 free throws taken by the visitors in the team's season opener. Photo Credit: Flash Gordon/Talk that Talk

Excessive fouls and excessive mistakes couldn’t make up the difference in a season-opening loss as the Josh Pastner era at UNLV gets underway.

A Rebel group returning just one player from last season lost, 86-81, to the UT Martin Skyhawks Tuesday, Nov. 4 from the Thomas & Mack Center.

“Just wanted to apologize to the fanbase for that opener,” Pastner said. “Especially on the dedication of Mrs. [Lois] Tarkanian for her name to be on the court. I feel sick to my stomach.”

After going 1-1 in exhibition play ahead of the season opener, UNLV now opens the year with an 0-1 overall record.

Saturday afternoon, the program is back in action when it returns to play against the Chattanooga Mocs. Tip-off is set for 6 p.m.

That will be the second of a three-game homestand to start the new year.

“We’ve got to figure it out,” Pastner said. “No one’s going to feel sorry for us, we’ve got to figure it out [and] we’ve got to figure it out in a hurry.”

UT Martin trailed for the final 14-plus minutes of the first half but would take the lead in the second half for the first time since 16:09 of the opening 20 minutes.

Rebels guard Al Green goes up for a left-hand layup during the team's four-point loss to the Skyhawks. Photo Credit: Flash Gordon/Talk that Talk

It helped the visitors cause that it shot 48 free throw attempts despite making only 27 of them.

“Fouling jump shooters from three-point range,” Pastner said. “Those are things that we don’t teach. I thought we were really unsound in some areas [but] we just weren’t good on both sides of the ball.”

While getting more chances from the charity stripe, the Skyhawks also made four more three-pointers than the Rebels on seven more tries. Moreover, the visitors shot just two percent worse than the home team in the win.

“We let them hang around,” Pastner said. “We were up 10 [points] in the first half and we had chances to bury them.”

While five of nine players available for UNLV compiled four or more fouls with senior forward Kimani Hamilton fouling out of the game just over midway through the second half.

Hamilton picked up his third foul on an illegal screen late just about halfway through the first half after being a part of a tandem that would combine to score 19 of the team’s 43 first half points.

“There was a couple of times we’d go up by 10 [points] and they’d come back,” senior guard Al Green said. “Just the little things, I’ve preached that the whole year, the little things.”

UNLV guard Dravyn Gibbs-Lawhorn takes a midrange jumper inside the Thomas & Mack Center. Photo Credit: Flash Gordon/Talk that Talk

At the time of fouling out, Hamilton accounted for 13 points on 4-of-5 from the field. Lone returner Jacob Bannarbie filled in the rest of the way and tallied nine points and eight rebounds.

Gibbs-Lawhorn led the team in scoring with 18 points on 5-of-16 shooting including a 2-for-9 mark from three-point territory.

“We’re all pretty brand new to the team, we’ve got one returner,” he said. “UT Martin’s got guys that have been there so they already have that family foundation base. But for the position we were in today, being up 10 or 11 [points], that’s on us. We’ve got to figure out how to climb, how to keep fighting [and] how to grow that lead.”

Much like his teammates, Gibbs-Lawhorn was one of the five players to rack up four fouls in the loss, earning his third foul in the first half as well.

While struggling from the field, Gibbs-Lawhorn totaled just one of the team’s 22 turnovers.

“There’s things we did today that I just did not recognize,” Pastner said. “Twenty-two turnovers. We were doing things with the ball that we had not done for five months.”

Rebels forward Ladji Dembele goes up for two in the paint during his first action with his new program. Photo Credit: Flash Gordon/Talk that Talk

Green was the final player in double-figures with 12 points in just under 25 total minutes of action.

Junior forward Ladji Dembele played in a UNLV uniform for the first time this season after missing the team’s two exhibition games due to injury.

“It was his first time to play in a game in a while,” Pastner said. “He’s been in practice for about two weeks. He’s been out since early July so to be back practicing for two weeks and I start him.”

In addition, junior guard Myles Che (foot) did not play this game after appearing to be slated to begin the season as the program’s starting point guard.

“Myles Che is probably going to be out for a while,” Pastner said. “Who I penciled in as our starting point guard. I was planning on him playing in today’s game but on Sunday, unfortunately, he injured his foot so he could be out a while.”